


Craving What's Out of Reach

by Springoffanfiction



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Blue Paladin Lance (Voltron), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Half-Galra Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Keith (Voltron) Needs a Hug, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Red Paladin Keith (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron) is a Good Parent, Touch-Starved, Touch-Starved Keith (Voltron), klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:47:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22354330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Springoffanfiction/pseuds/Springoffanfiction
Summary: Lance is a touchy person. He shoves, punches playfully, hugs, shoulder-bumps, hip-bumps, touches, touches, touches. It's normal. Allura ignores it, Coran is too busy to care, Hunk reciprocates it, Pidge shoves or punches him or reciprocates it, Shiro doesn't care, and Keith...Well, Keith has some touch issues. It's not that he doesn't like touch- the opposite, actually. But no one would assume that so... he's the one Lance never touches. So consequently he goes three months without being touched, and seven years with only two hugs. Yikes-
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 539





	Craving What's Out of Reach

Touches were Lance's thing. It was natural, easy, chill. Keith never got touched. By _anyone_. After spending years of solitude in the desert, he had forgotten what a hug was. Spooning his pillow at night and crying and so so alone. When he went to the Garrison, the only person who'd even talk to him was Shiro. Even Shiro just restrained himself to pats and high fives or fist bumps.

Keith literally ached to be touched more than that. But there was no one to ask, besides he couldn't just _ask_ , that's weird. And no one even liked him.

When he joined Voltron, he got a stupid hopefulness. Maybe Hunk or Shiro or Lance would like initiate group hugs or something or something, something, **anything**. He just wanted to be hugged. It was so strong it was stupid. It was foolish and idiotic and he didn't need touch to live. No one cared enough to give him a hug or any shit, so he shouldn't care.

He didn't care. 

At all.

And it didn't hurt that Lance hugged everyone except Keith and only gave him a high-five. Or that it happened multiple times. It didn't hurt at all. Keith had a growing _ache_ in his chest, throbbing and pulsing like he was being consumed by a black hole of loneliness. It physically hurt. When people did touch him, he flinched. On instinct.

What did you expect? He had only been properly hugged like once in the last 5 years. By Shiro. And the 'bonding moment' with Lance- well that clearly meant nothing to the blue paladin. He couldn't even stand to pretend he didn't mind. So yeah, Keith flinched. But then the other paladins assumed that meant don't touch me, and touched him even less. Until not even Lance was touching him at all.

Keith didn't know what to do. He couldn't talk to anyone he just couldn't over a stupid silly thing like this- that was so fucking dumb. So he did the only thing he knew how to do, he isolated himself more.

Staying in his room, getting a weighted blanket, curling up in his bed with pillows at every chance. Sparring and training for hours upon hours. Insomnia started to creep in, hours where he just laid in bed and wished someone would cuddle him to sleep. So fucking stupid. So he gave up on that and went to spar with the drones until midnight or even later. Until he eventually got so tired he passed out or just straight-up collapsed. 

Healthy coping mechanisms, am I right?

~-~-~

"Keith!" Lance shouted, running up behind him. Keith turned, pulling his helmet off and tucking it under his arm. "That was so great!" The blue paladin yelled, bouncing excitedly."

The other paladin stared at Lance, eyes wide as he took in his ruffled hair and flushed cheeks and sparkling blue eyes. Was he usually this cute? Oh yeah, another plus to this whole situation- Keith Kogane happened to be harboring a massive crush on Lance McClain. Just his luck.

Thankfully said crush didn't seem to notice Keith's stared and rambled on. "Like the way you just _shredded_ them with Red and then Blue and I blasted them! We make a great team!" Lance grinned, going in for a hug before freezing, looking almost scared- and definitly regretting the action. Keith let out a literal _whine_. Like the noise a cat makes when it wants to be pet? Like **that**.

Keith froze in horror, mouth gaping wide. "Uh yeah great thanks Lance, see you later?" he rushed out, running away before giving Lance the chance to respond. 

The red paladin buried his face in his pillow, screaming. Why the fuck did he make that noise!? 

~-~-~

Lance was so confused. Did Keith just _whine_? Like the Keith Kogane, best pilot in the Garrison, half-Galra, fierce, unbeatable, unemotional, emo disaster? Whined? Like a cat? He stared at where the other paladin had been staring before shrugging and going to find Hunk, putting it aside as a one-time thing. But then he paid more attention to Keith and was pretty... confused.

For one thing, Keith stared at Lance a lot. And every time any of the paladins hugged, he turned pale and his fists clenched, avoiding eye contact with everyone for a solid three minutes afterword. Especially Lance. 

Did he really hate Lance that much? And hate being touched that much?

So he went to Shiro to ask him. "Hey Shiro," he sighed, flopping down on the leader's bed. The black paladin looked up from his book and set it aside. 

"Hey Lance, what's up?"

"Keith," the younger responded, pulling his knees up with a sullen expression.

"Um... That's a bit vague. Care to... elaborate?" Shiro said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Why does he hate me so much!?" Lance exploded, throwing his arms out. "I didn't do anything! And he hates being touched so fucking much! He can't even stand to see it- let alone actually do it. I went to hug him and literally _whined_. Like seriously? There's no way in all the galaxies he likes me back Shiro! It's a disaster!" he whined, face now in a pillow.

Shiro was shaking with silent laughter but managed to keep it out of his voice. "I think you might want to talk to him personally about this..." he said. "Seriously." To be honest, the black paladin was getting tired of two of the other paladins constantly pining. And then coming to him to talk about it. He wasn't an expert! 

Lance frowned, looking up. "Why?" 

"Um, because Keith's room is next to mine? And he has Galra hearing? So he just heard that entire- oh, bye Lance."

The blue paladin was out of the room before Shiro could finish his sentence, leaving the door wide open. Shiro sighed, getting up to close it and _totally not eavesdrop_ on Keith's room

~-~-~

What the living fuck? There was no way Lance liked Keith back, right? Lance was so out of his league, he was cool and confident and easygoing and wasn't touch starved to the point of literally whimpering. 

It was probably like some sort of set-up. That was it, Lance and Shiro had set that up to make fun of Keith. Lance must've told Shiro about him whining and set that up as a sick prank or something. It didn't really sound like something Shiro would do but... that was the only reasonable explanation. Besides, Keith was used to people making fun of him. Nothing changed.

Why couldn't he get that through his thick skull? No one cared about him, no one would like him back, no one- absolutely _no one_ would touch him.

A knock at his door sounded and he stomped over, throwing it open. Lance stood in the door, a blush tinting his cheeks as he scratched the back of his neck nervously. Keith glared at him, arms crossed. "What."

"Um, hey... Did you by any chance hear the conversation Shiro and I were having?" Lance asked nervously.

Keith snarled. "Yeah I did, just like you wanted. Haha, nice joke. Now get the fuck out of my room. I don't need some fake friend to just go behind my back and make fun of me, okay?" He went to close the door but was stopped by a hand.

Lance held the door open. "Wait what do you mean?" he asked, brow furrowed. 

"I know you and Shiro set that up! I know it was just some practical joke on me! I don't care- I'm used to it! I get that you hate me and don't like me back and never want to touch me because I'm disgusting and awful and I get that okay?" Keith yelled, voice shrill at the end. 

The blue paladin stared at him, jaw open. "Wait... You don't mind being touched? You _like_ me?"

Keith glared, blinking tears back. "Yes, I do! Okay? I want to be touched and I have a crush on you. You don't need to rub it in," he hissed, moving to slam the door again. 

Once again, Lance caught it with his hand. "But that wasn't a joke!" he pushed his way into Keith's room, closing the door behind him. "Shiro and I didn't set anything up. I like you too Keith, I thought you didn't like me back! And I thought you hated being touched!" He reached forward awkwardly and grasped Keith's hands in his own, intertwining the half-Galra's pale slender fingers with his own tan ones.

It took every inch of Keith's self control not to completely collapse onto Lance, but despite that a small noise made it out of his throat. "You mean you like me back?" he whispered raspily.

Lance let go of Keith's hands, but before the red paladin could react, he had grasped Keith's face and pulled him into a kiss. Keith actually did partially collapse at this, practically melting into this kiss with a whine. Lance pulled back to laugh breathily as emo pulled him into a tight hug. Wrapping his arms around his boyfriend? fellow paladin? he carded his hands through his dark mullet.

Keith whined again, and Lance had to ask. "When was the last time you were touched?"

Through the haze of pleasure and comfort, the other tried to remember. "Uhhh... three months ago..." he mumbled. "But this is the second time I've been hugged in seven years."

Lance pried himself off to stare Keith in the eyes, looking horrified. "What!?" he demanded. "Okay as your boyfriend I will now hug you at least three times a day to make that up, and you're required to cuddle me any time you're lonely," Lance stated firmly.

Keith stared into Lance's shining blue eyes, blushing furiously. "Your... boyfriend?" he whispered.

"Uh!" the blue paladin's eyes shot open wide almost comically. "If you want!"

He was met with another kiss. "Of course you idiot," Keith responded, leaning his forehead against his boyfriend's. "And you were serious? You're actually going to touch me? You don't mind?" Desperation laced every word. 

Lance in turn tackled him onto the bed, wrapping over him like an awkward starfish. "As much as you want, Keith," he murmured into his ear.

**Author's Note:**

> This is just me projecting on Keith okay- I am desperate AND WANT A FLIPPING HUG OKAY----- I is very touch-starved right now
> 
> but anyway have some angst/fluff featuring klance :) please leave a comment if you want! I know I have 2 other WIPs I needa work on I'm halfway through another chapter in Serendipity but I must vent out my touch-starvedness. Eck. I also needa write my book -_- i have too many projects lol


End file.
